One Wish
by James Tuddrussell
Summary: Sakura makes the wrong wish at just the right time. Now Konoha's Champion is the spirited kunoichi known as Naruko. AU, gen, Naru/Hina friendship. Rated T for language and violence.
1. Chapter One

Chapter One: He's a wonderful guy

Sakura was sitting at a small bridge waiting for the others to show up. She waved her feet back and forth as they dangled off the bridge and thought again about having Naruto on her team. She sighed when she remembered how he embarrassed her in front of the Hokage. "This is all wrong, I wish Naruto was never born!" She felt something change, as if the world stopped moving. A warm glow filled the bridge for a moment, and suddenly the Fourth Hokage was sitting next to her.

Sakura gaped in awe. "H-Hokage-sama! But you're dead!" The figure next to her smiled warmly, and he spoke to her without talking. "You see me as the one called the Yellow Flash? How curious, but rest assured that I am not him." He looked around for a bit, then continued. "I was sent here because you made a wish, and it just so happens that Upper Management feels that you deserve one request. To what end or for what reason I know not."

Sakura looked down at that. Wishing someone out of existence was a terrible wish. The being next to her smiled. "Relax, you have final say on your wish. I can offer a glimpse into the future to show you what life would be like with your wish. It would hardly be a reward if we gave you something you'd grow to regret!"

He made a gesture and the water below them showed a field of sand and rubble."What's that?" The being frowned. "That my girl, is Konoha without its champion." Sakura flinched at that, who knew Naruto would be so important?

Sakura slumped into her hands, and frowned. "What if Naruto was on another team?" The being waved his hand, and four different images showed up. None of them were good. She sighed. "Why can't anything be simple?" The being's smile turned impish, but he said nothing.

Sakura put on her thinking cap, and an interesting idea came to her. "How about if Naruto was born a girl? Surely he'd ask me out less, and the kunoichi training will beat some manners into him!" The being raised an eyebrow, and waved his hand. The image that showed up was Naruto and Sasuke making out. "Ugh!" The being smirked as he waved it away.

"What if I don't make a wish?" The being waved his hand. All that was there was a smouldering crater. Sakura frowned, she would **not** let that happen. There had to be a way. "What would Naruto say about this? He deserves to know this as well because it involves him anyway!"

The being next to her glowed for a bit, and seemed to space out. "My superiors agree, I will summon him at once." He waved his hand and Naruto appeared on the bridge. "Hey Sakura! What's the Fourth doing here, isn't he...You know, dead?"

After hearing the explanations, Naruto sat down next to Sakura. "You wanted it so that I was never born?" The being shook his head. "Don't be sad Naruto, people say stuff they don't mean all the time." Sakura stood up. "No, don't trivialize it. I wished for it, and fully believed it at the time. And for that I am truly sorry Naruto."

Warmth and light filled the bridge. "It looks like you earned another wish!" Sakura groaned, but then she got an idea. "I wish I knew the wish that would have the best outcome!" The being smiled harder than ever. "You already do." She thought back on the various outcomes he showed her. "Would girl Naruto stop it from happening?" The being waved his hand through several scenes, and didn't come up with any of Konoha's destruction. "Apparently, or at least Naruto being a girl would somehow stop it from happening." Sakura frowned. "But how could such a small change make such a large difference?"

The being quirked an eyebrow. "Small? You do realize that any change to such a central figure as the Champion of Konoha is significant. I mean sure changing his gender is simple enough, but that change leads to more changes, which in turn lead to more changes... It may be a 'small' change, but it has huge consequences." Naruto looked him straight in the eye, and the being look a bit disturbed by it. "But it would protect my precious people, right?" The being looked grave, but nodded his head.

Naruto looked out over the unmoving expanse of the village he calls home, and thought of those he held dear. He looked back at the being and smiled. "Do it.." Sakura looked at Naruto for a while, and understood completely why this boy above all others is the one who would be champion.

She looked at the being, and nodded. The bridge then filled with light once more, and at that moment the whole world knew. Just for a second, that something important had happened.


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two: He's a lady (Whoa-whoa-whoa!)

Naruko was awoken by a bright flash, she instinctively took note of the others in the clearing. _"Sakura, and the Uchiha: Allies." _She stretched, and shifted into a more comfortable sitting position. After a bit Kakashi arrived, and explained the test to the Genin. They nodded, and scrambled out of sight. Kakashi flipped open his book, taking note that Sakura will need some more physical training.

Naruko hid in the bushes, and readied a selection of senbon. With varying poisons, some deadly, others with more... interesting results.

Naruko frowned, she knew that Kakashi was a Jounin and wouldn't be an easy target... But years of pulling pranks on Anbu and other elite ninja reminded her that for all their skill and power they're still only human. She knew the three Ds of pranking in a ninja village: Diversion, Disinformation, and most importantly Dedication. She looked around for signs of the others, she'd need their help to get those bells.

Sasuke was sitting on a branch, waiting for an opening to attack. He hunched a little lower when he sensed chakra being used nearby. He turned around slowly to see Naruko smirking at him from another branch. "What do you want?" Naruko frowned as she climbed to his perch. "We're teammates now, we should work together. I have a plan to get the bells." Sasuke scowled, but nodded for her to continue.

"You rush Kakashi like you were probably already going to do, except I'll be behind him and I'll throw a sleeve of shuriken at him. While he's distracted with that, you continue your assault. Between the two of us we should have a greater chance of one of us getting the bells."

Sasuke nodded. "A good a plan as any, but what about Sakura?" Naruko frowned. "There's only two bells, and Sakura has less combat skills. With training she could be a great ninja, but right now she'd more than likely just get in the way." Sasuke nodded once, he assumed it was for that reason. "Very well, I'll make my move in three minutes exactly. Is that enough time for you t-" He stopped talking once he realized he was speaking to bunshin smoke.

Sakura was hiding in a bush, she was busy trying to come up with a plan when Naruko approached her. She started, and tried to pull a kunai before she noticed it was just her teammate. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" Naruko glared at her. "Don't be so loud, we're supposed to be hidden. Anyway I have a plan." Sakura tilted her head in confusion. "Why come to me and not Sasuke?" Naruko smiled. "I did, he wasn't up for it. Wanted to test his skills against a Jounin, and besides us girls have to stick together right?"

Sakura laughed, that sounded like something Sasuke would do. "Alright, but we have to find a way to get Sasuke on the team! Ino is _so_ jealous, and I actually have a proper chance of getting a date with him now that I've got an excuse to hang out with him every day!" Naruko smiled. "I think I have a good idea of how to get Sasuke on the team, but right now we need to worry making sure that _we_ are on the team. Do you know any Genjutsu?"

Sakura frowned. "Other than bunshin? No, but I have some smoke bombs." Naruko nodded sourly. "Very well, we can work with that. I want you to henge into me, and throw a sleeve of shuriken at Kakashi from behind when Sasuke attacks him. Drop a few smoke bombs, and escape with a kawarimi. I'll be in the treeline, and when I see the smoke I'll rush in to get the bells." Sakura nodded, and the two of them moved into position. Sakura didn't notice that Naruko was actually a shadow clone.

Naruko skulked in the shadows on the other side of the clearing, she knew that this was the only tactically viable location for Kakashi to kawarimi to. She took a deep breath when she saw Sasuke make his move, and hoped she had a quick enough reaction time to catch Kakashi off guard.

Sasuke ran straight to Kakashi, and smirked when he saw the disguised Sakura behind him. He brought out two kunai and slashed at Kakashi. Kakashi sensed the shuriken coming at him, and dodged them. They went flying towards Sasuke, but he deflected them.

Smoke began to fill the clearing, and Sasuke brought his kunai up into a defensive position. Naruko silently cursed when she realized Kakashi didn't use kawarimi. She sent a shadow clone into the fray. The shadow clone saw a dark patch in the thinning smoke, and sent a flurry of senbon at it.

Kakashi dodged most, but took a hit in the shoulder. Sasuke, seeing an opening, cast a fireball jutsu at him. Kakashi was forced to use a kawarimi, as soon as he appeared in the tress on the other side of the clearing he jumped forward to doge another flurry of senbon.

Naruko, seeing Kakashi hit the ground roughly, threw even more senbon. Kakashi rolled out of the way, and sent a small barrage of shuriken her way. Naruko pressed the opening and threw the rest of her senbon at him, she took a few shuriken but Kakashi was hit with nearly a dozen senbon.

Kakashi got up, and staggered a bit. "Poison? That's rather clever for a Genin, but I've developed resistances to most of the deadly ones. It's a standard part of Anbu training." Naruko smirked as she bandaged her wounds. "Deadly poisons? What about diarrhoetic poisons?" Kakashi's eyes widened in horror when he felt his bowels gurgling. Naruko waved a bottle of stomach medicine. "How about a trade?"

Kakashi narrowed his eye at her, but the wave of pain wracking his gut forced his hand. "I'll give you a bell." Naruko shook her head. "Nope, I want a pass for Sakura and the Uchiha-teme as well. It's either all of us, or none of us!" Kakashi sighed. "I suppose the three of you have shown teamwork, and that you have the skills a Genin team needs. Fine, you pass. Now, about that medicine..." Kakashi stopped when Naruko fell over.

He walked over and took the bottle that fell to the ground. "Chakra exhaustion, I guess it's to be expected what with all the clones she was sending around. I spotted at least six, and there was probably more... I'll have to keep an eye on her." After taking a swig of the elixir, Kakashi walked out to the clearing to share the good news with the others.


End file.
